On the set of her latest comedy, Tammy, Susan Sarandon is already taking fans behind the scenes with a glimpse at the film's adorable crew.

"Helping out in everyway on Tammy set," the actress's pooch Penny Tweeted Monday, sharing a photo of the canine (hopefully jokingly) driving a truck. Yes, a truck. "Only one more week before we work in Niagra Falls."

Like any working actress, Susan Sarandon's dog tries hard to stay current. So now, she's entered the digital age, trying her hand – er, paw – at social media.

"She felt after she watched Melancholia that she had to reach out," The Big Wedding star joked on Thursday's visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon of why her Pomeranian/Maltese mix, Penny, decided to create a Twitter account. "She Tweets from where we are."

Celebrity event planner and chef Linnea Johansson knows how to throw a party. She's worked with A-list stars such as Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Justin Timberlake and just released her second book, Perfect Parties – Tips and Recipes from a New York Party Planner in October. Now she's lending her expertise to PEOPLE.com with two blogs geared toward your holiday party planning. Cheers!

When planning a holiday party or a bash for any time of year, you may want to start with an easy, inexpensive dining room makeover.

Giving your old chairs a new look in no time to spruce up your dining room for the holidays and/or any party occasion. Simply wrap fabric against the back of the chairs and then staple the fabric on the inside of the back ... and you have new chair slip covers in a jiffy. This works great at home, and you can easily create a new look for a room.

This trick has saved me many times. I once did an event for the Food Network to honor their stars. There was not much to do on the food end as all the show hosts and chefs sent over their recipes for a menu. The space was beautiful but the chairs I rented arrived in the wrong color. So I had to do a little last minute dining room makeover. My team and I rushed out and got fabric from the office and did a quick makeover for the chairs right before the guests started to arrive.

Susan Sarandon, who famously lived and raised a family with her longtime former partner, actor Tim Robbins, says marriage just isn't her thing.

"I believe in it for other people. I think if it works for you, that's fabulous," the Oscar winner, 66, tells Katie Couric on Tuesday's Katie show. "I don't know, I was always hesitant … this idea of locking it in. I thought it would make it less spontaneous."

Sarandon, who was married in college to actor Chris Sarandon, has been rumored to be involved with her business partner in the New York city ping pong bar SPiN, Jonathan Bricklin, who is more than 30 years her junior. He has denied a romantic relationship, and says the two are simply friends.

Lois Smith, a much-admired veteran movie publicist and the mother of Grey's Anatomy actress Brooke Smith, died Sunday afternoon after suffering a brain hemorrhage due to an accidental fall, Deadline reports. She was 84.

The New York-based industry trailblazer was in Maine, where her husband, Eugene Smith, was set to be recognized for his philanthropic work. Smith fell down the stairs late Saturday night at the bed-and-breakfast where they were staying.

A maternal figure to both stars and journalists who tended to adore her in equal doses, Smith, along with Pat Kingsley and Patricia Newcomb, helped establish the publicity firm of PMK (initially known as Pickwick, it merged with Maslansky/Koenigsberg) as an A-list leader. As a publicist, Smith was as involved in shaping images as she was in promoting specific movies, and always with a personal touch.

Among her clients were Robert Redford (their professional marriage went back to the late '60s, when his star was launched with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), as well as Marilyn Monroe, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon and Whitney Houston.

Topher Grace brought out an impressive crowd Monday when he made his professional stage debut during opening night of Paul Weitz's comedic Off-Broadway play Lonely, I'm Not at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre in New York City.

Grace's The Wedding costar Robert DeNiro came out to see the show, along with Susan Sarandon and Veep actress Anna Chlumsky.

DeNiro didn't exactly manage to go unnoticed, an onlooker tells PEOPLE. "Robert almost bulldozed an elderly lady on his way into the theatre to avoid photographers," the source said.

DeNiro, Sarandon (sans regular companion Jonathan Bricklin) and Chlumsky each arrived separately to watch Grace star as Porter, a man who is giving life another chance after going through the ups and downs of romance and career. Olivia Thirlby also stars in the play, as an ambitious young businesswoman who comes into Porter's life while overcoming emotional obstacles of her own. – Dahvi Shira

"It's true there aren't that many good parts," the outspoken actress, 65, says in an interview in the new issue of PEOPLE. "I've had my disappointments. It's hard to be in this business and not be an alcoholic or a drug addict or bitter as an older woman."

But, she adds, "that's one of the things you have to make your peace with – or get out of the business because everyone has those moments. I'm not the only one."